Who it comes up against
14 lost · Anchored, Artisan, BBC Sound, Cavity-Native, Characterful, Intimate, PRaT, Reference, Romantic, Silent Path
Against the Anchored brief, the Rega Aria Mk3 MM/MC keeps the slot decisively.
With the van den Hul The Frog, the pairing gives up most on spatial detail.
On its own merits the Leema Essentials MM/MC is the weaker phono stage for that brief.
It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the phono stage position.
A-wtd S/N 81dBStereophile Lab (Atkinson), 2015
14 lost · Anchored, Artisan, BBC Sound, Cavity-Native, Characterful, Intimate, PRaT, Reference, Romantic
Against the Intimate brief, the Naim NVC TT MM/MC keeps the slot decisively.
With the van den Hul The Frog, the pairing gives up most on midrange truth.
With the NVA P50SA MKII, the pairing gains most on tonal body.
On its own merits the Leema Essentials MM/MC is the weaker phono stage for that brief.
0.005% THD — vanishingly low distortionSPEC: THD 0.005% (manufacturer)
Leema Essentials with house clarity characterLeema Essentials phono + What HiFi reviews
3 lost · Vocals-First
Against the Vocals-First brief, the Tom Evans Groove+ SRX MkII keeps the slot clearly.
With the Etsuro Urushi Gold MC, the pairing gives up most on midrange truth.
On its own merits the Leema Essentials MM/MC is the weaker phono stage for that brief.
It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the phono stage position.
tone particularly well resolvedThe Ear (Kennedy) 2025 (Mk3)
3 lost · Artisan, Reference
Against the Artisan brief, the EAR Yoshino 88PB MM/MC keeps the slot decisively.
With the van den Hul The Colibri, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.
With the Audiolab 9000Q, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.
On its own merits the Leema Essentials MM/MC is the stronger phono stage — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the van den Hul The Colibri gives up quietness at rest under the Artisan weighting.
A-wtd S/N 81dBStereophile Lab (Atkinson), 2015
A-wtd S/N 81dBStereophile Lab (Atkinson), 2015
2 lost· 5 won · BBC Sound, Cavity-Native, Intimate, Reference
Against the Intimate brief, the Rega Aura Reference MC keeps the slot by a whisker.
With the EAR Yoshino 868L (Line), the pairing gives up most on low-level clarity.
With the van den Hul The Crimson, the pairing gains most on midrange truth.
On its own merits the Leema Essentials MM/MC is the weaker phono stage for that brief.
2 lost · Silent Path
Against the Silent Path brief, the Whest Audio 60Se Pro keeps the slot decisively.
With the Goldring Eroica HX MC, the pairing gives up most on low-level clarity.
On its own merits the Leema Essentials MM/MC is the weaker phono stage for that brief.
It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the phono stage position.
2 lost · Vocals-First
Against the Vocals-First brief, the Cyrus Classic PHONO keeps the slot clearly.
With the Etsuro Urushi Cobalt Blue MC, the pairing gives up most on midrange truth.
On its own merits the Leema Essentials MM/MC is the weaker phono stage for that brief.
It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the phono stage position.
not a warm or cosseting sounding deviceAVForums (Selley), 2024
1 lost· 7 won · Anchored, Characterful, PRaT, Romantic
Against the Anchored brief, the Musical Fidelity M8x Vinyl keeps the slot decisively.
With the van den Hul The Frog, the pairing gives up most on spatial detail.
With the Audiolab 9000Q, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.
On its own merits the Leema Essentials MM/MC is the weaker phono stage for that brief.
detailedMF owner consensus
A-wtd S/N 81dBStereophile Lab (Atkinson), 2015
1 lost · Silent Path
Against the Silent Path brief, the Whest Audio TITAN Pro II keeps the slot decisively.
With the Goldring Eroica HX MC, the pairing gives up most on low-level clarity.
On its own merits the Leema Essentials MM/MC is the weaker phono stage for that brief.
It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the phono stage position.
1 lost · Silent Path
Against the Silent Path brief, the Michell Apollo + Muse PSU keeps the slot decisively.
With the Goldring Eroica HX MC, the pairing gives up most on low-level clarity.
With the Audiolab 9000Q, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.
On its own merits the Leema Essentials MM/MC is the weaker phono stage for that brief.
A-wtd S/N 81dBStereophile Lab (Atkinson), 2015